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60 - Skydiving Safety and Precautions!
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SKYDIVING;
BEGIN by researching the facilities in your area that offer these kinds of extreme sports adventures.
Speak with the trainer who has to be an experienced and professional skydiver.
Request to see their authorization and certification documents.
You have to inspect the gear you will be wearing and using.
Gear would basically include the garment(s) you would wear and the parachute(s).
In order for a parachute to be of good quality and ready-to-use, it has to be carefully folded, or "packed" to ensure that it will open reliably: Emergency and reserve parachutes are packed by "riggers" who must be trained and certified according to legal standards. Paratroops and sport skydivers are always trained to pack their own primary "main" parachutes. Thus, inspect the company’s parachutes and make sure you check their materials for any problems or malfunctions.
Parachutes can malfunction in several ways. Malfunctions can range from minor problems that can be corrected in-flight and still land safely, to catastrophic malfunctions that will require you to cut away the main parachute using a modern 3-ring release system and the reserve parachute to be deployed to save your life!
Most skydivers are also equipped with small barometric computers known as an Automatic Activation Device (AAD) that will automatically deploy the reserve parachute in case of emergency. Specifically, if a skydiver does not deploy the main parachute to reduce his rate of descent by a preset altitude, the AAD device “reads” the malfunction and automatically releases the reserve parachute.
Approximately one in a thousand main parachutes experience some kind of opening malfunction and must be cut away; although some skydivers have on their records many thousands of jumps and never once had to cut away their parachute!
Most accidents and fatalities in skydiving occur under a fully functional main parachute due to turbulence or inexperience!
Ask, listen, and essentially learn as much as you can from your skydiving trainer(s) before taking off and ultimately jumping off the plane.
Always Remember To;
-- Eat a light meal, Avoid skydiving on an empty stomach or right after a heavy meal.
-- Get enough rest the night before the jump.
-- Wear loose, comfortable clothing like a collarless t-shirt and track bottoms. Avoid wearing jeans or synthetic garments.
-- Bring snacks! Pack snacks in case there is a weather delay.
-- Arrive at the skydiving facility an hour in advance to complete paperwork and a health checkup.
-- Follow your instructor's instructions
-- Follow the tips and safety measures provided by your instructor.
-- Learn the parachute landing fall (PLF), a safety technique that involves doing a ninja roll when you touch the ground.
-- Consider TANDEM skydiving where you're attached to an experienced instructor, this has a better safety rate than SOLO skydiving!